Compensating driving mechanism for motor-vehicles



H. R. KIDNEY. COMPENSATING DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. I

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. I919.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. R. KIDNEY. COMPENSATING DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, I919.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 the improvement.

er ct f STAT nnnvnv n. KIDNEY, or CLEVELAND, onro.

colvrrnnsn'rme nn vrne MECHANISM FOR moron-vnrrrcnns. V

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. *7, 1-920.

Application filed June 14, 1919. Serial No. 304,156.

an embodiment of certain I compensating mechanism forwhich patents have been granted, the primary object being to adapt the said mechanism to use on tractors where in it'is very desirable to .provide for making short curves, or abrupt turns.

The patentsreferred 'to are No. 1,238,730, bearing 'dateof September 4th, 1917, and No. 1,265,160, dated Ma 7th, 1918. In these patents certain'mechanism is described and claimed, that provides particularlyfor a positive drive of both wheel sunder all conditions, so thatone 'wheelcann'ot spin ahead of the other, the inner wheel on a curve be ing always positively driven in the direction in which the vehicle is :moving, and the other wheel also'po'sitively driven as'soon as the vehicle resumes astraightline, the drive always "being positive, irrespective of the amount of load'borne, or resistance encounteredby the wheel.

My invention comprises novel mechanism that cooperates with the elements employed in an embodiment of the inventions aforesaid, and is therefore an improvement on said inventions, providing greater efliciency.

' The embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in the accsm an in draw ings, which are made a part of the specification, provide modifications in :details of construction that adapt the driving mecha-.

nism covered by the above cited patent, to

'The improvement whereby the operator may render both forward or reverse drive inoperative on'either side, therebymaking it possible for the machine to take short curves, or abrupt turns, the inner wheel being inoperativeand practically acting as a pivot, while the curve is described by the driven outer wheel. This,

line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

provides mechanism I as before stated, is an advantageous feature when the compensating mechanism is em ployed in tractor construction.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1. s a sectional view of an embodiment of the invention, on line 1'-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a complete section, taken on line 22of Fig.1. :Fig. 3 is a section, partially broken, on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 isa view of a pawl carrying mem ber whichwill be identified in the specification, and Fig. 5 is a section of the casing on Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of the improvement, Fig. (Sbeinga complete section on line 6 -6 of Fig. 7, and Figs. 7 and 8 sections on lines 7-7 and 8-8:, respectively, of Fig. 6;

Throughout the description and in the several figures of the drawings, similar referenc'e characters are employed to designate corresponding parts. The present embodiment of' my invention is adapted to wormdrive, but it will beune derstoodthat I am not confined to this specific construction, the improvement being equallyadaptable to any gear drive. i

3 The worm member 1 isdriven' by an assooi ate worm attached to the power shaft, not

shown. The member 1 is firmly attached to the dual part housing 2 between thecircular flanges 2. Journal-bearlngs 2?, 2 are pro- ',ided on the housing 2 for the shafts 3 and 4:. 9 Two internally toothed, or fluted ratchet wheels 5jand 6 have their hubs 5 and 6 splined, respectively on the driving shafts Sand 1, as shown'in Fig. 31. 1 A pawl carrier 7 is mountedon the hubs 5 and 6, and

is adaptedto oscillate thereon. Said pawl carrier is provided with arcuate peripheral lugs '7 Tfthat extend intofreces ses2 ithat are. formed between the two halvesyof the housing 2, diametrically opposite, as shown dotted in Fig. '2. Corresponding'series of pawls 8 are 'mounted on both" sides of the member-7, said pawls being normallyforced into engagement with the teeth "ofth ratchet. members -5 and 6" by springs 8?.

Rocker blocks 9 are pivotallymountedon V the member'Y, said blooksbeing provided with fingers 9 which extend on both sides of said member 7-,"and are adapted to engage .the free ends 8 of the pawls 8. The blocks 9 are also provided with heads9 said heads being'confined in recesses 2 that are formed diametrically opposite, between the two halves of the housing 2, best shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

lVhen the housing 2 is driven in the direction of arrow a, Fig. 2, through the medium of the worm vring 1, the shoulders 2 ofthe recesses2, bearing on the lugs .7,

gagement and disengagement of said blocks with the pawls 8. That is to say the dia- "metrically opposite pawls, on both sides of the member 7 will be inmesh with the teeth of the members 5 and 6, while the alternate pawls will'be forced out of mesh with saidteeth. The pawls 8 that are in mesh with the teeth of the members 5 and 6, drive said members 5and 6, and through the splined connection ofsaid members drive the shafts 3 and 1 in a forward or reverse direction. In. either case, since the power is transmitted independently to both wheels, it will always, with the mechanism thus far det scribed, be the inner wheel, alone which drives the vehicle on a curve, the outer wheel: running freely. In other words, .the inner wheel on a curve 1S positively driven in the d rection in which the vehicle is moving, and the other wheel is also positively driven as soon as the vehicle resumes a straightline, the drive being always posi If the housing is driven, in the opthe above tive. posite-direction, the reverse of described function will result. Y The mechanism thus far described is similar to that embodied in the patents above mentioned. By "the addition of my improvement to the mechanism, the power can be transmitted tothe outer wheel, in a novel way, while the inner wheel idles, or forms apivot 1 The improvement consists broadly in the provision of novel means for disengaging 7 all of the pawls, on one or the other side of the member 7, from the teeth of the members that are splined to the driving shafts,

so that either wheel may idle while the'other shafts. number to the number of pawls 8, and are regularly arranged relatively is driven.

In the embodimentillustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the driven housing2 is provided with a series of apertures which extend therethrough parallel to the drive i The said apertures correspond in to said pawl's, being in the same diametrical planes. The

said apertures in the housing 2, provide bearings for slidable pins 10. The pin 10 are beveled at their inner ends, the beveled portions bearing on secondary pins 11 which are housed in the member 7, positioned atan angle to the pins 10 and adapted to operate on thepawls 8, their function being. to release said pawls from engagement with the teeth of the members 5 or 6. The re-' leasing operation isbrought about asfol lows: Disks 12 are-mounted on the extensions 2 of the housing members 2,.said elements 2 being adapted to revolve freely in central openings in said disks. The disks 12 bear on the outer terminals of the pins. 10, and are reciprocally movable through the medium of levers fulcrumed on the housing members 2, one only'of said levers 13 being shown in Fig. 1, fulcrumed at 13 and operated by a suitable member It is obvious that a like lever and ;operating member would be fulcruined at 13 for ace tuating the pose. i e Normally the disks 12 are in outward positions, as shown in Fig. 3, and the pins 10 are forced outward, or held in contact with said disks through the action of the pawls Sand spring 8 the members 1 1, of course,- being free. nism is capable of performing allthe funcpatents hereinbe In this condition the 'mechations provided for in the fore referred to, and as described.

,In either forward orreverse movement I of the vehicle twoopposite pawls on each opposite disk for the same purside of the member 7 are outof engagement 7 with the-teeth of the driving ratchet members 5 and 6,'while the alternate pawls are If it is desired tdmake an abrupt turn to the right, the disk 12 lo-. cated .on theright side is. forced inward by in engagement.

the lever 13, thereby pressing the pins 10 inward. Theinclined innerportions ofsaid p ns bearmgon' the secondary pins 11 cause said pins to dislodge the v pawls 8 thatare in engagement with the driving. members5 Or 6, as the case maybe. JPoweris thus entirely released ;from the I 7 right fwheel while the left wheel is being right wheel whilethe [curveis described by the left or drivenwheel.v It is obvious that a turn to the left can be madein the same manner by actuatingthe left disk. and'allowing the right one to. remain normal.

In the, modification, illustrated in Figs. 6,

p 7 driven. This will cause the vehicle tosubstantially pivot'on the 7 and 8, the general construction, arrangement and coeperation of the elements is the same-as that above described, but thepawl releasing mechanism differsin construction and operation, as Wlll now be explained; I.

. The coeperating members 2, 3, 41-, 5, 6, 7

and 8 are constructed and arranged the same ashereinbefore described, and the rocker members are pivoted on the member7 and perform the same function. Said rockers are, however, each made in two parts 90 and r 91 provided, respectively, with heads 90 and 91 which are acted upon, for the same purpose of releasing the alternate pawls in the same manner as in the former case. Levers 50 and 51 of the bell-crank type, are pivoted in the housing member 2, as shown. The arms 50 and 51 of said levers are in engagement with the outer faces of the heads 90 and 91, while the arms 50 and 51 are in engagement with slidable plates 60, which are operated upon by disks actuated in the same manner as the disks 12 of the former structure. It will readily be seen that when the disks 70 are pressed inward, the plates 60 acting on the arms 50* and 51 will cause the levers 50 and 51 to oscillate on their pivots, and 51 acting on the heads 90" and 91 will cause the members 90 and 91 to dislodge'the pawls 8 that are in engagement with the driving ratchet members 5 and 6, thereby releasing the driving mechanism on the side of the machine on which the disk is operated. V

lt will be understood that there may be various changes in the details of construction of my improved mechanism without departure from the spirit of the invention, and that I am not confined to the specific design and arrangement of parts as described only so far as limited by thescope of the claims.

WVhat I claim is- 1. A driving mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising the combination of two alined wheel shafts, a driving'gear mounted on said shafts and capable of a limited movement thereon, ratchet clutches connecting the driving gear with the wheel shafts for forward drive and for reverse drive, said clutches being automatically thrown into and out of operative position by said turning movement of the gear on the wheel shafts, and means for throwing said clutches out of engagement independently of the au' tomatically operative means. I

2'. In driving mechanism for motor vehicles, the combination with the wheel shafts and power shaft, ofautomatic means for connecting the latter to both the wheel shaft to connect and the arms 50 power shaft,

their driving function,

shafts for forward drive, means operated automatically by'the reversal of the power the latter to both wheel shafts for reverse drive, connecting the drive of either wheel shafts, said means being operative independently of the automatic means.

In, driving mechanism for motor vehicles, the combination with two I wheel shafts and the power shaft, of means con necting' the wheel shafts with said power shaft for forward or reverse drive while accelerating either wheel shaft, a driving gear mounted on the wheel shafts so as to have a limited 'motion thereon, the said connecting means comprising overriding clutches for connecting the driving gear with the wheel shafts, said clutches being automatically operated by the limited turning movementof the gearmembe'r on the wheel shafts, means for disconnecting the clutches independently of the automatic means so that either wheel may be caused to idle while the companion wheel is positively driven either forward or reverse;

4. A driving mechanism for motor vehicles, comprising thecombination with the of a divided shaft connected at its outer ends with the vehicle wheels, ratchet wheels on the inner adjacent ends of said shaft, a driving gear mounted on the divided shaft so as to have a limited. turning movement thereon, a pawl supporting member mounted on the hubs of the ratchet wheels, spring actuated pawls carried on' said support, said pawls being adapted to engage the ratchet wheels, and being alternately disposed for forwardand reverse drive, means connected with the pawl supporting member and ited movement of the driving gear for releasing oppositely disposed pawls from engagement with the rtchet members and permitting the alternate pawls to perform and means connected with the driving gear member and acting on the engaged pawls for disengaging said pawls independently of the automatic movement.

and means for disone of the coacting with the 11m- HARVEY a. KIDNEY; 

